Mr. Gerry Bennett:

There are two procedures which have been agreed with the educational partners, one on the amalgamation of primary level schools and the other on the amalgamation of second level schools, which are outlined in two separate documents. There is a process to be followed by the trustees and patrons. Basically, there are a number of stages involved. The documents, published by the Department of Education and Skills, outline the reasons for amalgamations or reconfigurations in various situations. We follow those documents rigidly, which set out the process to be followed at both primary and secondary level. The author of the document is Frank Murray, on behalf of the Department.

As I said earlier, there are various reasons for either amalgamations or reconfigurations which are listed and include a decline in enrolments, curriculum developments, the fact a school may be too small, the need for improvements to a site, changes in the circumstances of the patron, an application for major capital funding, enhancement of student learning, provision of an effective educational programme, demographic changes that result in a decline in enrolments, the desire for co-education, maintenance of a particular ethos or characteristic spirit, poor condition of school buildings, financial concerns, parental or teacher demand and the objectives of the Department. As can be seen from the aforementioned, there are a range of reasons for a school going into a reconfiguration or amalgamation process.

The initiative for an amalgamation can come from a variety of sources, including the staff, the board of management, the patron or the Department itself. Any of those groups of people can instigate the amalgamation or reconfiguration process. In that process, there are three stages which are outlined in the documentation. Stage one is the preliminary phase which involves discussion, data collection and consultation. That consultation process involves the teachers, the board of management, the trustees, the principal, the patron and other stakeholders at local level. Following the process of consultation, any decision by the trustee or the board of management must have the sanction of the Minister for Education and Skills. There cannot be any change without the sanction of the Minister.

Stage two is the decision stage. In the primary sector, the decision is normally taken by the bishop, who happens to be the patron for the Catholic schools. That decision would be forwarded to the Minister for approval or sanction. At second level, we would take the place of the bishop as patron. Again, there would be a long process of dealing with the school, examining proposals, investigating the financial aspects and the possible educational impact and so forth. Then we would make a recommendation to the Minister. They are the steps that we would follow.